After the expulsion of a diplomat, Britain is considering punitive cuts in aid to Malawi, one of southern Africa’s poorest nations

Britain is considering punitive cuts in aid to Malawi, one of southern Africa’s poorest nations, after the expulsion of a diplomat who criticised its president in a leaked cable to London.

President Bingu wa Mutharika ordered out Fergus Cochrane-Dyet after the high commissioner described him as increasingly “autocratic and intolerant of criticism”. Britain is Malawi’s principal aid donor, having given about £1 billion in the past 15 years. It pays up to 60% of the salaries of healthcare workers in the Aids-stricken republic.

This weekend Cochrane-Dyet described the decision to expel him as “unwarranted and unacceptable”. “This is not the way to treat an old friend who has given unstinting support to this country for decades,” he said.

He also attacked an erosion of freedom of speech under Mutharika, adding: “It’s hardly surprising that the British government is now reviewing its wider relationship with Malawi.”